Advances in graphical user interface (GUI) techniques have the potential to allow users to more fully interact with the devices they control. However, the hardware that provides the interface between the user and the device often limits the user's ability to fully exploit GUI features. Traditional button-festooned remote control devices typically are non-intuitive and require the user to look away from the displayed GUI and spend considerable time searching for the desired combination of keys needed to implement a desired command. Integration of multitouch displays in remote control devices and other user interface devices has improved user interaction, but such displays still typically require the user to switch focus from the displayed GUI to the multitouch display of the user interface device to implement certain commands. Moreover, the cost of implementing multitouch displays in the user interface device renders such an approach impracticable for many consumer devices, such as televisions and set-top boxes.